Jon88
04-12-2008, 11:30 PM
Nine people killed and 105 wounded, Iran's state-run television reports. No one has claimed responsibility for attack. The explosion happened in the southern Iranian city of Shiraz
(CNN) -- A hand-made bomb exploded after evening prayers Saturday at a mosque in the southern Iranian city of Shiraz, leaving nine people dead and 105 wounded, Iran's state-run television reported.
Shiraz, Iran, is well known for being home to many scholars, artists and poets.
However, the official Islamic Republic News Agency offered a conflicting report about the explosion.
It quoted the governor general of Shiraz as saying, "Initial surveys about the cause of the blast have proved there has been no bomb involved in the incident and, therefore, there (are) other probable causes."
The blast and subsequent fire happened about 6 p.m. in the men's section of the mosque while a cleric was addressing the worshippers, according to the Fars news agency.
The sermon denounced Bahai and Wahabi faiths, both of which are considered heresies by some Shiites.
No one claimed immediate responsibility for the blast.
The explosion blew out windows in several nearby houses. Buildings shook more than half a mile away, The Associated Press reported, citing local media accounts. There were appeals for blood donations, according to the AP.
Bombings are unusual in Iran, though the predominantly Shiite Muslim country has endured sporadic attacks in recent years.
The last major bombing occurred in February 2007, when a car bomb blew up near a bus carrying members of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Corps, leaving a dozen dead and injuring dozens more in the southeastern part of the country.
Shiraz, a city of more than 1 million people in central Iran, is well known for being home to many scholars, artists and poets and for its local craftsmanship of rugs and metalwork. It is about 400 miles south of Iran's capital, Tehran
(CNN) -- A hand-made bomb exploded after evening prayers Saturday at a mosque in the southern Iranian city of Shiraz, leaving nine people dead and 105 wounded, Iran's state-run television reported.
Shiraz, Iran, is well known for being home to many scholars, artists and poets.
However, the official Islamic Republic News Agency offered a conflicting report about the explosion.
It quoted the governor general of Shiraz as saying, "Initial surveys about the cause of the blast have proved there has been no bomb involved in the incident and, therefore, there (are) other probable causes."
The blast and subsequent fire happened about 6 p.m. in the men's section of the mosque while a cleric was addressing the worshippers, according to the Fars news agency.
The sermon denounced Bahai and Wahabi faiths, both of which are considered heresies by some Shiites.
No one claimed immediate responsibility for the blast.
The explosion blew out windows in several nearby houses. Buildings shook more than half a mile away, The Associated Press reported, citing local media accounts. There were appeals for blood donations, according to the AP.
Bombings are unusual in Iran, though the predominantly Shiite Muslim country has endured sporadic attacks in recent years.
The last major bombing occurred in February 2007, when a car bomb blew up near a bus carrying members of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Corps, leaving a dozen dead and injuring dozens more in the southeastern part of the country.
Shiraz, a city of more than 1 million people in central Iran, is well known for being home to many scholars, artists and poets and for its local craftsmanship of rugs and metalwork. It is about 400 miles south of Iran's capital, Tehran